Duncan Foliage, age 13
District Seven Male
"Why are we going again?" Duncan jogged to catch up with his twin, Isa, as she marched towards the forest lining one part of the district. He heard Isa huff out a breath.
"Because Sawyer and Ivy told us to go before the reaping," she said. "Besides, it'll be fun. They're our friends, so why shouldn't we spend time with them?"
They're your friends.
Duncan would have rather been at home, or been working in their parents' paper shop, or doing anything else than going to the woods to be with the two people Isa called friends. But he had to go with her. What if Isa got herself into trouble and he wasn't there with her? What kind of disaster would that turn into?
A light breeze fluttered it's way through the district, breaking some of the heat. The weather was nice, not overly hot for the middle of summer, but the day's atmosphere ruined it. Reaping day tended to do that. People should have been enjoying themselves, not wondering whether or not they were about to be sent off to the Hunger Games.
But Duncan didn't say any of that. He just quietly followed Isa. How it always was.
He caught sight of Sawyer and Ivy standing together, obviously arguing. Ivy threw her hands up in the air, her face exasperated. Sawyer just crossed his arms at whatever she said. Whatever the issue was, Isa must not have noticed, or if she did, then she didn't care. She ran up to them, leaving Duncan behind.
No surprise there.
"Isa!" Sawyer exclaimed, giving her a high five. "What's going on, kid?"
"Not much," Isa responded with a grin. She gestured behind her. "I brought Duncan with me." Both Sawyer and Ivy turned to look at him, and Duncan felt the urge to look away rise up. But he fought it, waving shyly at them.
"Awesome," Ivy said after a brief pause. She didn't sound too enthusiastic, but that quickly changed when she looked back as Isa. "So I was thinking…"
"We were thinking," Sawyer corrected. Ivy stuck her tongue out at him.
"We were thinking about how people said nobody can climb that old sycamore over there." Ivy pointed, and Duncan's heart rate increased. That sycamore was notorious for being unclimbable, even by the most experienced lumberjacks. Naturally, teenagers would have a go at climbing it, only to end up falling from the branches. "You wanna go for it?"
"Isa…" Duncan started, but he was quickly drowned out.
"Of course I do!" Isa exclaimed, already racing towards the tree. Duncan just sighed, following her, Ivy, and Sawyer. Here we go again.
Isa Foliage, age 13
District Seven Female
Isa placed her hand on the first branch, eager to get to the top, eager to prove that she could do something others could not. Who could resist a good challenge?
She hoisted herself off the ground, reaching for another handhold. Below her, Ivy and Sawyer were cheering. She couldn't hear Duncan, although that was expected. Sometimes, Isa wasn't sure how they were twins, they were so different. Duncan would never do anything like this.
His loss, she thought gleefully, pulling herself further up the tree, adrenaline fueling her.
Isa glanced down to see how high up she'd gotten. It was tough to gage, but she saw smiles on her friends' faces and a worried expression on Duncan's. When would he realize that she was fine? That she didn't need a babysitter?
"Please be careful," Duncan called and Isa just rolled her eyes.
"I'm being careful," she retorted, still climbing without a plan. Wind brushed through her hair, through her clothes, through the leaves of the old sycamore. Isa placed her foot on a branch and used it as leverage to lift herself up higher.
Crack!
Suddenly, she was falling. Isa yelped, scrambling to try and latch on to a branch, but she couldn't do it. Her body hit the ground with a thud, all the air rushing from her lungs.
Sawyer reached her first. "Dude, are you alright?"
But Isa was grinning. She nodded, not yet regaining use of her voice. Because she was alright. She was better than alright. The rush of adrenaline, the small inkling of fear—what was better than that? What else could possibly sustain somebody?
"I told you to be careful." Duncan stood hovering over Isa, extending a hand down to help her up. She grasped it and hauled herself to her feet.
"I'm fine," Isa wheezed. "It was fun."
Ivy whooped. "That looked so cool! You were so high! I've never seen anybody else get there before."
Pride surged through Isa's chest. The first. I'm the first. Even better than taking on a challenge was completing it. At least, it was to Isa. Duncan, not so much.
He grabbed her wrist. "We should probably head home to get ready for the reaping." Right. Reaping Day. Isa waved goodbye to Sawyer and Ivy, promising to meet them later for some more climbing.
Maybe she'd be able to get higher next time.
Duncan Foliage, age 13
District Seven Male
They made it just in time.
By the time Duncan had his finger pricked to sign in and was standing with the other thirteen year old boys, the clock inside the Justice Building tolled and a hush fell over the crowd. For a moment, the only sound was the snapping of banners with the seal of Panem in the wind. Duncan took a deep breath, his eyes transfixed on the glass reaping ball with the boys' names.
You're in there twice. Isa's in there twice. You'll be fine.
The district escort, Delica, bounded on stage, her forest green curls festooned with gold flowers. The mayor and Elm Ashford, District Seven's victor, followed suit, with much less zeal. The mayor's speech was the same as it was every year. Or, at least, every year since Duncan was born. In his lifespan, Seven had not gotten a victor, so no adjustments had to be made.
The mayor introduced Delica, and she hurried to the microphone, her white dress sparkling in the sun. "Happy Hunger Games, District Seven! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" She clapped her hands together. "Let's not waste any time, shall we? The suspense is killing me! Time to choose your female tribute!"
Delica walked over to the glass ball, and made a real show out of selecting the slip, swirling her hand around the top before digging it deeply into the papers and pulling one out. She crossed the stage back to the microphone and called out the name, "Isa Foliage!"
Oh no.
Duncan's head whipped over to the girls' section, where the crowd parted around his sister. Isa's face was pale, the fear evident. He wanted to reach out. He wanted to call out to her, to do something. But he couldn't. He watched as Isa just pursed her lips and walked stiffly into the aisle and towards the stage. Towards her death.
When she mounted the steps, Delica ushered her to her proper spot. "Can we please have a round of applause for Miss Isa Foliage?"
Duncan couldn't move. He couldn't bring himself to applaud for his sister going into a fight to the death. But others didn't seem to have any issue with it. On stage, Delica smiled. "Now, for the boys."
She made the same show of picking the second slip. "The male tribute for District Seven will be—oh my—Duncan Foliage!"
Duncan Foliage. His insides twisted, his eyes filled with tears. He blinked them away, but stood motionless in the reaping pen. A cry sounded from the perimeter of the square, most likely one of his parents. First Isa, now him. This can't be happening.
But it felt very real when the Peacekeepers had to forcefully bring him to the stage to stand beside his sister.
The four steps up to the stage were the longest steps he'd ever taken.
Once he got situated to Delica's liking, she placed a hand on his and Isa's shoulders. "District Seven, your tributes for the 95th Hunger Games, Miss Isa Foliage And Mister Duncan Foliage." She gestured for them to shake hands.
Duncan turned to Isa, tentatively sticking his hand out. Isa grasped it firmly, even though fear was evident on her face.
The odds were not in their favor.
Isa Foliage, age 13
District Seven Female
She refused to cry. It would make her look weak if she came out of goodbyes with a tear streamed face. She hadn't cried when her name was called. She hadn't cried when Duncan's name was called. She wouldn't cry now.
Going into a death match was bad enough. Going in with your twin brother was infinitely worse.
Isa's parents burst into the room, and her father swept her up into his arms immediately. Her mother seemed as if she was in a state of shock, murmuring to herself, "One of them will come back. One of them will come back."
One of them will come back. Only one of them could come back. It was something that Isa knew from watching a lifetime of the Games, but hearing the words from her mother's lips solidified the concept in her mind. If Isa wanted to live, Duncan would have to die. If Duncan wanted to live, Isa would have to die. There was no way around it.
"Just do your best," her father said, rocking her in his arms. "That's all we'll ask of you and your brother."
Isa nodded. "I will."
"And please don't do anything too brash," her mother said. "I know you tend to do that sometimes."
"I'll be fine, Mom," Isa snapped. She would have Duncan reminding her of the exact same thing at all times when they were in the Capitol. She didn't want to hear it anymore than she had to. Her mother held her hands up in surrender.
"Try to win," she said. "You or Duncan. One of you has to come back to us."
One of you. Isa just nodded, overwhelmed once again with the reality of the Games. At least one of us is gonna die.
The Peacekeeper barged in, and started to pull Isa's family away from her. "I love you," her father cried out, her mother going without a fight.
The door closed, leaving Isa alone. She wondered how Duncan was handling everything in the room beside her. It was never easy to tell with him. Did that make her a bad twin? Since she didn't know Duncan all that well anymore? And now they were going into the Hunger Games together.
She would have a lot of learning to do in the next week.
District Seven and the Foliage twins are a wrap! I switched up the timeline for this chapter because I feel like the goodbyes would have been really repetitive with the same family twice. Speaking of which, what are your thoughts on Isa and Duncan? On the whole 'siblings being reaped together' trope? I included it here mostly because I couldn't help myself. I wanted the *drama* hahah.
See you next time in District Eight!
-D9T